Classic Rock Magazine (Issue 246)
By Gary Graff
4th Feb 2018

The in, out, in songwriting heart of Fleetwood Mac.

Five years ago in September, Christine McVie stepped on stage with Fleetwood Mac for the first time since 1997 and has been touring with them since. More importantly, she went into the studio with the guys in the band for sessions that resulted in last year’s lauded Buckingham McVie duo album with Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham. At 74, the former Christine Perfect is fully in, and it doesn’t sound like she has any plans to go her own way ever again.

Are you still glad that you rejoined Fleetwood Mac almost five years ago?
Oh yes. It’s fantastic. I love it.

In hindsight, do you regret the hiatus?
I quit the band only because I developed this horrendous fear of flying and was run down and tired of touring. I bought a home in England that was being restored. I wanted to move back closer to my family. It was not out of any lack of love for these guys. They’re my musical family.

What brought you back?
I realised that I made a huge mistake, that’s all. I started missing them and playing with them and the interaction, the chemistry of it all. I started to really, tray desire to star/ doing something again, and the only people that I would have any desire to do anything with would be Fleetwood Mac.

Your first step back was writing and recording again with Lindsey. You two clearly have a unique emulation. What is it draw out of each other?
It’s a hard thing to analyse, really. I suppose it’s just a musical rapport Is very easy to work with him_ Although I know people say he can be a difficult bugger, I’ve always found him to be a terrific fellow to work with. I enjoy it.

There are some who would say, with all deference to Stevie Nicks, that it’s the product of your collaboration that is the real sound of Fleetwood Mac.
Lindsey just loves producing other people’s songs. He always has. I think with me he tends to lean slightly towards a romantic side of him musically, I’m speaking – because he describes himself as the brains and me as the heart.

Was there any disappointment that the Buckingham McVie songs didn’t end up leading to a full Fleetwood Mac album?
No, I don’t think there was ever any particular agenda at that point. In the very opening days we didn’t know what we were doing. We didn’t know where it was going to go. Anything could happen. suppose it would’ve had to cross my mind at some point. It seems bizarre that Stevie [Nicks] is not on it, because the rest of the band are. But we decided that we wanted to pursue a duet project when we listened to everything back. And I’m really happy that we did because I like what it is. It’s dean-cut and defined very much as the two of us. Which I do like.

Fleetwood Mac will be touring in 2018 What are prospects for some new material from the band?
I certainly think it’s a good idea, I think it would be quite nice to cut a couple of new ones. We’ll have to wait and see. We’re planning to start rehearsing sometime in the spring.

Stevie Nicks was also interviewed in this edition of the magazine

The 2018 reissue of the Fleetwood Mac album is also reviewed in this edition of magazine

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